Amex Boosts Platinum Earn Rate and Unveils Metal Card
American Express has announced some enhancements to its iconic Platinum Card. The main improvement is to the earn rate on dining and travel spending, while the earn rate on all other card purchases actually gets a slight devaluation.
Amex Platinum cardholders used to earn 1.25 Membership Rewards points for every dollar spent on all purchases. Now the enhanced earn rate looks like this:
- 3 points for every $1 in Card purchases on eligible dining in Canada
- 2 points for every $1 in Card purchases on eligible travel
- 1 point for every $1 in all other Card purchases
These changes go into effect immediately for new and existing cardholders.
New Metal Card for Amex Platinum Cardholders
Amex also unveiled a sleek new metal card design that’s now available for new members. Existing Platinum members will receive the metal card upon renewal, but can request earlier access.
No other changes were made in this refresh so American Express Platinum cardholders will continue to enjoy benefits such as:
- A welcome bonus of 60,000 points (with a referral link) when you spend $3,000 in the first three months
- A $200 Annual Travel Credit
- Access to more than 1,200 airport lounges across 130 countries with the Global Lounge Collection
- Complimentary benefits at over 1,000 extraordinary properties worldwide when you book Fine Hotels & Resorts
- Access to exclusive culinary experiences and restaurant reservations with the Global Dining Collection
- A wide breadth of travel and retail insurance coverage
The increased earn rate on dining and travel is a welcome change from the standard 1.25 Membership Rewards on all spending. Let’s face it, the Platinum Card comes with a $699 annual fee so it’s not being billed as an everyday spending card but something to use on luxury travel and dining while basking in perks such as airport lounge access and hotel privileges.
I picked up this card last year to take advantage of the 60,000 point welcome bonus and annual travel credit as we prepared to book our trip to the U.K. The unexpected extra value came when I flashed my card at airport lounges in Vancouver and Calgary and gained entry for my family of four, and for the automatic enrolment in Marriott Silver Elite status.
Final thoughts
The enhancements to the American Express Platinum Card are mostly positive with increased earn rates on dining and travel, along with the new metal card design. The biggest win for cardholders, both new and existing, is that nothing else changed with the program.
Some Platinum cardholders were anticipating an increase to the annual fee, or a decrease in the welcome bonus. Thankfully none of that happened and the Platinum Card retains its value as one of the top travel credit cards in Canada.